Jane Holtz Kay

Jane Holtz Kay contends in the following viewpoint that carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks are the largest single contributor to global warming. She argues that the cost of America’s dependency on the automobile is enormous in terms of environmental damage, road construction and maintenance, excessive energy consumption, and lives lost in car accidents. Raising the tax on gas to curtail car usage and building less car-dependent urban areas are proposals that Kay advocates to mitigate the automobile’s negative impact on global warming. Kay is the author of Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took over America and How We Can Take It Back.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What type of vehicle is to blame for a 3.4 percent increase in U.S. emissions, according...